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MY STORY
Health and fitness wasn't always a big part of my life. In fact, I clearly remember the days where I could have cared less about what I put into my body. Growing up I ate a typical Canadian diet including my fair share of chips, chocolate bars and Pepsi, and was never considered the athletic type. Besides a brief encounter with gymnastics when I was younger, my first real athletic experience happened in high school when I joined the school's competitive cheerleading team on a whim. I ended up falling in love with it and went on to join my university's team followed by an allstar team, ending my career almost eight years later.
Competitive cheerleading taught me how to be tough, push past pain and become extremely disciplined. There's no room for error when you're throwing someone ten feet in the air! Although I dabbled into eating healthy during those times, I didn't really start getting serious until about 2009, when I graduated university. This is when I signed myself up for my first gym membership.
I quickly found myself becoming obsessed with working out and eating very little. In my quest for a six pack, I would push myself through a one hour spin class, followed by abs and more weights all on a lunch of just veggies and hummus. I thought that if I just burned more calories and more fat I would look fit and toned. But as time went on I became frustrated I wasn't seeing the results I wanted when I was working so hard. I was exhausted all the time and getting nowhere. This went on for almost two years.
During these years I became much healthier, but still struggled tremendously with finding balance in my eating and workout habits. I would consume a lot of "diet friendly" foods because I thought low calorie meant healthy. This transitioned into an obsession with only clean foods which led me to unhealthy binges on all of those foods I decided were "off limits". I would also go months where I would lose motivation and go from working out four times a week to nothing at all.
Thankfully I knew deep down what I was putting myself through was unhealthy. So on January 1st 2011 I made a promise to myself to get healthy again. For the next few years I spent hours everyday researching bodybuilding online and learning about weight training and proper nutrition. I stopped doing cardio, started weight training more frequently, and most importantly, I started eating. Within the next few years I went from a skrawny 103 skinny fat pounds to 122 pounds of lean muscle mass.
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I thought that if I just burned more calories and more fat I would look fit and toned
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As I became more informed it eventually clicked one day for me: food is fuel
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But as I became more informed it eventually clicked one day for me: food is fuel. After I adopted this mindset and began understanding the importance of whole foods, I learned how to eat and train for my goals. I started allowing myself treats when I wanted
and started consistently hitting the gym. It's been five years that I've been able to maintain this balance and I can happily say I no longer feel guilt surrounding food and anxiety over the way my body looks.
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Thankfully I knew deep down what I was putting myself through was unhealthy
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My journey hasn't been an easy one but I'm proof that persistence pays off. Just like I finally broke through the frustration, I promise you can do it too. Being happy and confident in your own skin is something I believe every person has in them; it just has to be uncovered.
Curious about your inner fit girl?
WHO AM I?
NASM certified personal trainer
Precision Nutrition Level 1 coach
Nationally qualified natural bikini competitor
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